by J. J. Egosi
Julianna rolled her eyes. “You’re hopeless.”
She pointed her sword at the beasts. “No one lays a hand or paw on that beautiful hair. Now, pay for your sins with your fucking lives!”
She violently hacked at the bears, mercilessly slaughtering them all. Within seconds, the forest was a bloodbath. Julianna’s face was red from both anger and splattered blood.
She dug some old shirts from out of her bag and tied them around Michael’s wounds to stop the bleeding. Michael was coughing up blood and gasping for air. His eyes were fluttering closed.
“Don’t die on me, Michael!” Julianna lifted up his head.
“Thanks…for saving me. I guess…you can be pretty selfless too.”
Michael smiled up at her as he slowly started to close his eyes.
“Hey! Don’t die on me. Not when you made a fucking promise to your friend. Wake up!” she sobbed.
“I’m alright. I’m…just resting,” he whispered.
Julianna placed her hand over his chest. His pulse was fading. “He’s still alive. Barely. He needs a healer.”
Julianna gathered her composure. She collected their things and lifted Michael on her shoulders, just as he had done for her.
“Damn, he’s heavy.”
After letting her body adjust to the weight of her load, she scanned her surroundings.
“It’s getting dark, and these woods are probably full of wild animals. I’ll need to move fast if I want to get him to the nearest healer,” she spoke under her breath, which was visible amidst the cold night air.
She marched through the woods, trying to pass through as quickly as she could. Upon exiting the brush, she entered a village. The village immediately struck her as odd and disconcerting. It was much smaller than what she was used to. The colors were drearier than what she was accustomed to in the Light Realm. More bizarre than anything else, the streets were entirely vacant. Without the sounds of a single soul to be heard.
How odd…
She walked through the empty market stands. The walls were clad in wanted posters. She paused for a closer look and immediately recognized the face. “Michael’s a criminal?!” she said, shifting his weight on her back.
She was flabbergasted. She gave the poster another glance to make sure her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her just as she caught the sound of voices and heavy boots approaching.
Seems this place isn’t as deserted as I thought.
Julianna panicked and ran for cover.
She hid beneath one of the stands. She started wrapping Michael in a blanket she’d pulled out from her bag along with her jacket. Julianna listened silently. The people walking by began speaking. She peeked around the stand to see two officials, each carried a sword at their side.
“Still no sign of the white knight, huh? He’s got to be out there somewhere,” one said.
“Doesn’t look like it. But, you’re right about one thing, that monster can’t hide forever.”
“You’ve gotta be pretty scared of this kid, though, haven’t you? I mean, he killed nearly half of the government’s highest officials. Who’s to say he won’t start going after the rest of us? Hell, he could try to take this whole town for himself!”
Julianna’s eyes widened. The posters bore a resemblance she could not ignore. “Was Michael actually telling the truth about being an assassin?” she said, looking at him. He was covered from head to toe in her old clothing.
We are going to have the best kids after this is over.
She returned her attention to the officials’ conversation.
“That’s rookie talk. We can’t go around thinking like that. We’re the best officials this town has to offer. The civilians rely on us to keep them safe,” said the second official.
“We’re only the best because our superiors were murdered by the kid. But you’re right. Maybe we should keep our voices down. You never know when the white knight will strike.”
The second official laughed. “He’d be a fool to show his face now. We’d kill him in an instant.”
“Now, isn’t that rookie talk? Thinking he wouldn’t do something that stupid? He might be the type of criminal who wants to be seen. He could be hiding here.”
“That’s true.” The second official bore a beady grin. “And if he is, we’ll paint the walls of this town with his blood.”
Julianna’s eyes widened. “No, not my Michael!”
She gasped, realizing she had spoken aloud. The two officials looked at each other and slowly walked towards the stand where she was hiding behind.
There must be a way to divert their attention away from him. The officials were only steps away. She took a deep breath as she rifled through the clothes in her knapsack. “I didn’t want to do this, but it seems I have no choice.”
“Are you sure you heard something?”
“Must have been the wind,” said the first official, shrugging off his suspicion. “You can go crazy surveilling a ghost town like this in the middle of the night.”
The two officials returned to marching through the bazaar. Julianna appeared from behind one of the stands, wearing a very low-cut shirt.
“Can I help you boys out?” she called seductively.
The officials smiled at each other. “As a matter of fact, I think you can,” the first official grinned.
“It’s been a long night. Perhaps you could show us a good time. What do you say, honey?”
Julianna pressed her breasts together with her arms. “A good time, huh?” The officials walked closer, giving her nefarious glares.
Julianna grinned. “I think I could show you both a very good time!”
She jumped over the stand and appeared behind the officials. She raised her two swords over her head. Without looking, she heard their heads drop. Blood messily poured out of their decapitated bodies, and their bodies flailed in all directions.
“Now, it’s your blood painting these fucking walls.”
She took a handful of black bear hair from her earlier fight from her clothes and scattered it around their bodies. She then used her swords to further mangle the cross-section. Any passerby would have thought that a far more gruesome assault had taken place.
She returned to Michael, who rested up against the stand they were hiding beneath. Now to find him a good healer.
She set off in search of exactly that. Julianna walked through the village for hours on end, determined to carry Michael to the first healer she could find.
As the sun rose, she spotted a large estate. With what little strength she had left, she released her wings and soared over the gate, bringing Michael and their supplies with her. She walked to the front entrance and frantically knocked on the door. She heard the clacking of heels on the other side and hoped that the owner of this home would be able to help.
Chapter 6
Welcome Home
T
he owner of the estate opened the door to Julianna. She stared at her visitors curiously.
“Can I help you with something?” the owner asked.
“My friend was attacked by bears. Would you happen to know where I could find a healer?” Julianna asked.
“As a matter of fact, I’m a healer. Come in!”
Julianna didn't hesitate and walked straight in. She immediately noticed just how big the owner's estate was. Long hallways and towering spiral staircases surrounded her. Ornamented tapestries hung by the doorway. Crowning the center of the hallway was the most enormous chandelier Julianna had ever seen; it bore hundreds of delicately crafted candles held in jewel encrusted bulbs.
This place is incredible! she thought. She must be good if she can afford to live here.
The owner looked at Julianna over her shoulder. “I'm going to make some tea. I'll meet you in that room over there, alright? You can just lay your friend down wherever you'd like.”
Julianna entered a drawing room through a large door at the end of the hall and placed Michael onto a jewel bound oak bench, resting his
head on a satin pillow.
From her knapsack, she took out another healing potion. She placed Michael’s head on her lap and slipped it past his lips. “This is the last of my supply. It should keep you alive for just a little while longer.”
She stared down at his sleeping face. It was far calmer after drinking the remedy. She brushed his cheek and returned the bottle to her pocket before covering his face with blankets again.
She paced around a circular table that was in the center of the room. Her attention was now focused on her surroundings.
As she waited, she walked past jewel-encrusted wardrobes and other pieces of furniture. Julianna took a closer look at the lavish oil paintings that hung all around her. They depicted the faces of royalty; men and women with shifting attire depicted a long line of past generations.
This estate has undoubtedly been in the family for a while.
She peered at the crested frames of the paintings. She wondered if they were made from real gold.
Surely, she must come from a line of more than just excellent healers.
“The gold is real. As are all the jewels.”
Julianna started.
The owner had returned with a tray of tea.
“I see you’re getting quite comfortable.”
“My apologies.”
Julianna took a seat beside the table. The owner of the estate placed the tea tray beside her and sat in the adjacent chair. She poured the tea into jewel-studded cups.
“Not to worry. Has he received any treatment thus far?”
“I’ve been giving him healing elixirs overnight to keep him alive, but alive is all I’ve been able to keep him,” Julianna said sullenly. “He hasn’t awoken yet.”
“Healing elixirs.” The owner chuckled, “How pedestrian.”
Julianna watched with a puzzled expression as the owner sipped from her cup. The woman studied Michael’s wounds, which peered out from the many layers Julianna had wrapped him in. “I can help you with your friend’s wounds. However, my work doesn’t come cheap.”
Julianna slammed her hand on the table. “Fine! Name your price. There’s nothing I can’t afford, not when it comes to that man.”
The owner was taken aback; she saw the determination in Julianna’s blistering stare. “I see. He means a lot to you. We’ll discuss the price afterward, since the cost is of no concern to you, as you say. For now, let’s look at what we’ve got here.”
She placed down her cup and moved closer to Michael. The owner chuckled as she removed the frilled and feminine clothing that had been wrapped around him. “Your friend certainly is a cross-dresser, isn’t he?”
“That’s all I had to stop the blood,” Julianna said.
“No problem at all. These wounds are severe, but I can fix them.”
Julianna’s face lit up.
“I just need to check there are no other injuries,” said the owner. She placed his neck at an angle on her lap to ease his breathing.
The owner removed the clothing from Michael’s face. She stopped short as she recognized his white hair and blue eyes barely creaking open before closing back.
Isabella shook in disbelief at her adoptive brother lying unconscious with his head upon her lap.
“Michael. Have you really returned to me?” she whispered.
“You know this man?” Julianna asked.
“We used to live together. This is my adoptive brother, Michael. How did you find him?” she asked as tears fell from her eyes.
“He was wandering through the woods one night while I was on a mission, and- Wait, what did you say your name was?”
“I didn’t, how rude of me. My name is Isabella.”
Julianna couldn’t believe it. “So, you’re the girl he’s been talking about?”
“He’s mentioned me? What did he say?”
Julianna simply looked at Isabella’s chest.
“They’re not that big,” she simply stated.
“What the hell?” Julianna’s sudden remark left Isabella flustered. She covered up her chest with her jacket.
“Let’s just say your brother’s a boob guy. Apparently, he can’t decide which of us has the nicest breasts.”
“Is that so?”
“Indeed.”
Isabella’s expression was solemn. “You care for him?”
“Yes.”
“He carries equal importance to me. We may have lived like brother and sister, but I love him like a woman loves a man.”
Isabella slid her hand gently across Michael’s sleeping face.
Julianna’s blood boiled, and her fists clenched. “You lived as his sister, and you developed feelings for him? Wasn’t it you who threw him out?!”
“He told you about that? Yes, that’s true. It all is. I’m a bitch, I know. I was malicious, and I beat him. I don’t even know why. I’m just so sorry.”
Isabella choked up; she was barely able to hold back her tears.
“How could you do that to someone you claim to love?”
“I know I don’t deserve him, but I’ll do anything for him!”
“Well, if that’s the case, you’ll have to go through me first!”
“Really now?” Isabella playfully replied. “How about I finish healing him, and we let him decide who he wants. Fair?”
This sadistic whore is trying to seduce my Michael, Julianna thought.
She breathed heavily as Isabella placed her hands over Michael’s body. She recited a chant that made his body glow.
Julianna twitched in anger, but Isabella paid her no mind.
I may have to climb a mountain to overcome the hatred he feels for me now, but I’ll make sure Michael falls for me, Isabella thought.
They gave each other scornful glares as each attempted to intimidate the other.
In moments, all Michael’s wounds had vanished, as though they’d never been inflicted. Michael opened his eyes only to be met with two familiar faces.
“Where am I?” he asked.
“Michael…” Isabella cried tears of relief as she held him tightly in her arms.
“Isabella?” he reached his arm out to her.
“Yes, it’s me. Welcome home.”
“Am I having some sort of dirty dream?”
“Excuse me?” The two girls looked at one another and sighed in disappointment. “No, you’re at the estate. I’ve just healed you.”
“You did?” Michael couldn’t remember a thing, only bloody flashes of a bear attack and a strange feeling of being protected. “How did I get here?”
“This woman over here brought you.” Isabella pointed at Julianna. “Do you mind telling me who this is?”
Michael slowly sat up. “That’s Julianna. She’s a close friend of mine. We met in the woods a few days ago. It’s a funny story, actually-”
“Do you love her?”
“What?” Michael was taken aback.
“Do you love her, Michael? I want to know.”
“What if I do? Why would you care?”
Julianna blushed. Her heart pounded, barely able to hold back her excitement. He…loves me?
Isabella’s face turned red. “Because I love you. I want to be with you. I want to spend my life with you and grow old with you. I want to start a family and live together on this estate. With you. You’re the love of my life, Michael.”
Tears rolled from her eyes. Michael felt like the room was closing in on him. Things were only making less sense.
“The beatings, the yelling, and the glares that you’d give me… They hurt me. I didn’t want to do it,” Isabella said.
“Why, then?” he asked.
“Why what?”
Michael watched his tears hit the satin material of the bench. His chest tightened. “Why do all of that? Why hurt me when you could have just been honest from the beginning?”
I’d like to know that too. Julianna thought. I’ve been looking forward to meeting the other tenacious woman that caught his eye. Seeing how she’s just a snobby
heiress that has abused my Michael, I demand an explanation.
Isabella couldn’t bring herself to respond. Her face was riddled with shame and guilt. Although she desperately wanted to answer, she didn’t know what she could say to make things right.
“I can’t excuse what I did. I never will. I don’t even know why I did it.” Isabella was choking on her grief. “I want to make things right with a clean slate if you’ll allow me.” She smiled hopefully.
Julianna was clearly less than impressed with her response and scowled her way.
“What you said before…” Michael muttered under his breath. “You love me?”
“Yes,” Isabella solemnly replied. “With all my heart.”
Michael laughed a bit and nodded. “If that’s really how you feel, you have a funny way of showing it.”
He leaned in and wrapped his arms around her. He hugged her tightly and rested his head on her shoulder.
Isabella was overcome with relief. “So you’re not mad? You’ll have me as your wife?”
Michael looked deep into her eyes and smiled.
“No.”
Julianna was barely able to hold back her laughter. Isabella was dumbfounded.
“No to not being mad, or no to having me as your wife?” Isabella asked.
“No to both. You abused me the entire time I was here. If you really felt that way, then you shouldn’t have fucking done it! Damnit, Isabella. It hurt!” he screamed.
Isabella’s eyes trembled with fear. Julianna was no longer laughing. This was the first time either of them had ever seen him so livid.
“I’ve learned these past few days that if you really have something to say, then just fucking say it! Don’t beat the shit out of someone for fifteen years and think you can make things better with a half-assed apology and a confession of love!”
Tears rolled from Isabella’s eyes. “Is this woman-”
“Her name is Julianna. She’s just a friend. She could become more in the future… Maybe.”
“Have you two slept together?”
“Not technically,” he replied.
Julianna couldn’t contain her gleeful smile. “Yes, we have,” she interjected.
